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Language Skills

R
STATA
SQL
Python
CSS
HTML
bash

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Made with the R package pagedown.

The source code is available on github.com/SunnyYShao/cv.

Last updated on 2021-01-06.

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Sunny Shao

I have made visualizations viewed tens of thousands of people, led data queries, analysis, and visualization labs for UCR students and members from public and non-profit sectors.

Education

PhD. Candidate, Political Science

University of California

Riverside, CA

2021 - 2016

  • Dissertation: From Netizen to Citizen: netizen empowerment and WeChat political activism among Chinese Americans
  • Focused on Asian American political participation and social media mobilization
  • Study netizen politics among Chinese Americans on WeChat

M.S., Public Policy

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

2015 - 2013

  • Focused on economics and local governance
  • Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society Member

B.A., International Communications

Nottingham University

Nottingham, UK

2013 - 2010

  • Studied communication theory and public spheres on social media platforms

Work Experience

Researcher & Center Associate

Center for Social Innovation (UCR)

Riverside, CA

current - 2018

  • Independently collect, analyze and visualize survey data for research reports and public-sector clients
  • Supervise and mentor undergraduate students on data science research
  • Provided technical support for the Census 2020 Complete Count Committee in the Inland Empire Region of CA

Researcher

AAPI Data

Riverside, CA

current - 2017

  • Work and collaborate with local, state, and national organizations on over 130 data consulting projects
  • Program Qualtrics experimental surveys with name matching algorithm to determine ethnicity from voter files
  • Analyze, visualize survey data and build interactive data tools in ShinyApps using R

Summer Data Consulting Fellow

Education Pioneer

Los Angeles, CA

2016

  • Worked closely with charter network coordinators, school principals, teachers on their needs and constraints for life experience programs
  • Created weighted sampling surveys to evaluate programs of Camino Nuevo charter school network
  • Designed research protocols and research methodology for future program evaluations

Data Analyst Intern

SmartAnalyst

Gurgaon, India

2012

  • Interviewed thoracic oncologists in Japan and China for pharmaceutical clients, who are on phase II trials of non-small cell lung cancer drugs
  • Translated three-way phone meetings between client, SmartAnalyst and Chinese thoracic oncologists
  • Crowdsourced regional experts in non-small cell lung cancer through medical journals

I have worked independently on various projects at AAPI Data and CSI, coordinated directly with stakeholders, funders, and journalists who are not data experts themselves. I was also responsible for managing stakeholders’ expectations and communicating project progress with them from initiation to closing.

Teaching & Workshop Experience

ArcGIS Lab

Center for Social Innovation

Riverside, CA

current - 2020

  • Spatial Data Visualization & Mapping Application Development
  • Initiate the workshop and organized and taught each session
  • Lectured on using ArcGIS online tools to create interactive mapping tools

Analyzing ACS data with tidyverse and tidycensus R packages

Center for Social Innovation

Riverside, CA

2020

Infographic Design with Adobe illustrator

AAPI Data

Riverside, CA

2019

Data Analysis,Visualization and Social Entrepreneurship

SEED Lab

Riverside, CA

2019 - 2018

Data Narrative Action (DNA): Data Visualization & Cesus Factfinder Tools

Social Innovation Institute

Riverside, CA

2018

Applied Econometrics & Microeconomics

School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

2015 - 2014

  • TA and lectured
  • Topics covered from penalized regression to boosted trees and neural networks

Calculus & Economics

Fusion Academy

Pasadena, CA

2015

  • Teacher & Mentor
  • taught Accredited high school curriculum & mentored 10th grade - freshman year students

Selected Interactive Data Tool Development

AAPI Quick Stats, AAPI Data

shinyApp + AWS hosting

N/A

current - 2020

Inland Empire COVID Monitor

ArcGIS Hub

N/A

current - 2020

Geographic Profiles, Racial Data

shinyApp + AWS hosting

N/A

current - 2019

Community Profiles, Racial Data

shinyApp + AWS hosting

N/A

current - 2019

Community Facts, AAPI Data

shinyApp + AWS hosting

N/A

current - 2018

Survey Projects

Asian American Voter Survey

AAPI Data, APIAVote & AAAJC

N/A

2020 - 2018

  • National experimental survey conducted in English & 8+ Asian langauges

Inland Empire Non-profit/Civic Engagement Survey

Center for Social Innovation, UC Riverside

N/A

2020 - 2019

  • Inland Empire Region of CA

National Asian American Survey

AAPI DATA

N/A

2018 - 2018

  • National survey

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Visibility Survey

AAPI Data

N/A

2018

  • National

Selected Published Research Reports

State of Nonprofit in the Inland Empire

Center for Social Innovation

N/A

2020

APIA Vote: state Factsheets

APIA Vote & AAPI Data

N/A

2020 - 2016

State of Civic Engagement in the Inland Empire

Center for Social Innovation

N/A

2019

State of Women in the Inland Empire

Center for Social Innovation

N/A

2019

Asian American Voter Survey Report

APALA, AAJC & AAPI Data

N/A

2018

State of Work in the Inland Empire

Center for Social Innovation

N/A

2018

State of Immigrant in the Inland Empire

Center for Social Innovation

N/A

2018

AAPI Data Project 2018

Washington Conmission on Asian American Affairs

N/A

2018

Selected Presentations & Invited Talks

ArcGIS Lab

Center for Social Innovation

Riverside, CA

current - 2020

  • Spatial Data Visualization & Mapping Application Development
  • Initiate the workshop and organized and taught each session
  • Lectured on using ArcGIS online tools to create interactive mapping tools

Analyzing ACS data with tidyverse and tidycensus R packages

Center for Social Innovation

Riverside, CA

2020

Infographic Design with Adobe illustrator

AAPI Data

Riverside, CA

2019

Data Analysis,Visualization and Social Entrepreneurship

SEED Lab

Riverside, CA

2019 - 2018

Data Narrative Action (DNA): Data Visualization & Cesus Factfinder Tools

Social Innovation Institute

Riverside, CA

2018

2020 Census and Beyond: New Tool for AAPI Census Efforts

Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy

Virtual

2019

2018 and Beyond: Data, Narrative, and Action

Advancing Justice Conference

Atlanta, GA

2018

Resources for Engaging in the Debate Over Data Disaggregation

Association of Asian American Studies

San Francisco, CA

2018

Should Federal Government Mandate Vaccination for Children

RAND LA Policy Symposium

Santa Monica, CA

2015

Selected blogs

Understanding the Struggles of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

N/A

N/A

2019

  • Authored with Dr. Janelle Wong & Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan

Record Gains in AAPI Voting Likely to Continue Through 2020

N/A

N/A

2018

  • Authored with Dr. Sono Shah & Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan

The 116th Congress Will Have The Most AAPIs. Ever

N/A

N/A

2018

  • Authored with Dr. Sono Shah

There are Dozens of AAPIs Running for Congress This Year

N/A

N/A

2018

  • Authored with Alton Wong

Asian Ethnicity Data Helps Students, Saves Lives

N/A

N/A

2017

  • English to Chinese translation

Selected Press

Grants and Awards

Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society

N/A

Malibu, CA

current - 2015

GSA Conference Travel Grant

N/A

Riverside, CA

2021 - 2016

Coulter Foundation GSA Grant

N/A

N/A

2021 - 2017

2020 Rstudio conference Diversity Scholarship

N/A

San Francisco, CA

2019

UCR Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship

N/A

Riverside, CA

2017 - 2016

Pepperdine Graduate School Scholarship Award

N/A

Malibu, CA

2015 - 2013

Pepperdine Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship

N/A

Malibu, CA

2014